Introducing our Leadership Rotation Network

We are excited to introduce our new Leadership Rotation Network (LRN). LRN was created to provide new graduates the tools to sharpen their technical skills and understanding of market fundamentals while also providing insight into how our teams collaborate to support our trading business. We sat down with the LRN Program Manager Desiree to learn about the goals of the program and the qualifications needed to succeed.

What is your role at DRW?

My role is Operations Strategist - Office of the COO.

What is your involvement with LRN?

I am currently serving as the Leadership Rotation Network (LRN) Program Manager. This means I am tasked with looking after the program holistically to ensure success in its inaugural year, driving coordination components necessary to deliver a great experience for our incoming LRN participants and for the internal teams hosting them. DRW has a great collaboration culture so I'm also enjoying partnering closely with our Talent Acquisition and Talent Development Teams on various LRN elements!

What was the motivation behind LRN?

The motivation of LRN is to build a pipeline of talent for our support teams using a thoughtful approach where we ensure candidates have first gained a comprehensive understanding of the business and have a “behind the scenes” look at how our trading functions work together cohesively. We are so excited for our first cohort of LRNers and look forward to continuing to expand/evolve the program in future years!

What would make an ideal candidate for the program?

As an organization that values diversity, there truly isn't one 'mold' we want our candidates to fit into. However, some general candidate profiles we're seeking for LRN include:

Background:

A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Computer Science, Math or related field
A graduation date between December 2022 and June 2023
Proficiency in Excel
Experience in VB/VBA, SQL, and Python (not required)

Qualities:

An interest in trading and technology
A strong sense of urgency
Process and detail-oriented
An adaptive and self-motivated attitude, enjoy challenges and significant responsibility, and thrive in fast-paced, competitive environments

What can candidates expect to get out of the program?

Upon the LRN program commencement in Summer 2023, participants will first be supported with upfront training to sharpen technical skills and deepen their understanding of market fundamentals, propelling them to succeed in rotations that follow.

Over the course of the next year, candidates will rotate through a target of 3 Infrastructure subgroups – including Global Trading Operations, Treasury, Risk, Project Management, Business Management, Accounting and Finance. Throughout each rotation, candidates will spearhead projects that allow them to understand each team’s accountabilities and how they collaborate to support our trading business.

After completing the rotations and harnessing the opportunity to make a real impact throughout the organization, LRN participants will then be placed on a team that ultimately strikes a balance between the candidate's interests/skillsets and DRW’s business needs.

Outside of the core rotation structure, LRN participants can also expect a foundation of support and relationship building opportunities, from a cohort of fellow LRNers to program coaches as well as events and milestone celebrations to commemorate achievements along the way!